Get into the holiday spirit this month with some classic Christmas apps. First up are two time-honored stories, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” from two of the best book-app publishers, Oceanhouse Media, and Loud Crow Interactive. Next, give kids a digital surprise to open each day with the advent calendar Fiete Christmas. Finally, decorate holiday photos with stickers, frames and backgrounds, then send them to friends with PicCollage.
Garry Froehlich
Jellybean Tunes
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
By Oceanhouse Media
How the Grinch Stole Christmas does an excellent job of presenting the Dr. Seuss book in app form. The story comes to life with simple animations, narration, word highlighting and activities. Kids can tap on any word to hear it spoken or tap on objects to hear their names. There are simple games associated with each page, from puzzles, to word searches, to matching games, and more. Even better, all of the interactivity can be turned off for when parents and kids just want a calm story time together.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
By Loud Crow Interactive
A Charlie Brown Christmas adapts the classic animated feature into a wonderfully produced app. The story of Charlie Brown’s struggle to find meaning in Christmas is presented as a pop up book, fully narrated by the original voice of Charlie Brown (as an adult), with word highlighting, animation and interactive elements. In addition to the story, kids can play piano, decorate a tree, or use stickers in iMessage. The only caveat is that the app does not fill the screen on newer iPad Airs and Pros, although it still works well. Despite its age, A Charlie Brown Christmas is still one of the best Christmas apps on the store.
Fiete Christmas
By Ahoiii Entertainment
Fiete Christmas is an advent calendar, giving kids something to open everyday. Kids unlock simple toys and decorations, one each day from December 1st until Christmas. The app includes a physics engine, so kids can play with the toys on the screen, moving, stacking or building with them.
PicCollage: Add Fun to Photos
By Cardinal Blue Software
PicCollage is a general purpose photo collage app, with plenty of holiday content. Parents can choose photos, arrange them on a page, add Christmas-themed frames, stickers, text, backgrounds and even animations. The completed masterpiece can be saved, shared with others via the usual social media links, or printed at home. PicCollage is free to download and use with a good amount of free content, but most sticker, frame and background packs must be unlocked with in-app purchases or with a monthly subscription (a 7-day free trial is included).
